By Petrina Francis, Education ReporterTHE GOVERNMENT has established a committee to examine the options that can be pursued for a mandatory National Youth Service.
"Within the Government, a committee has been established to examine clearly the role of a mandatory National Youth Service ...," said Ohene Blake, executive director of the National Centre for Youth Development in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture.
He added that "I want to place it in a light mandatory as opposed to universal National Youth Service."
Mr. Blake was speaking during a recent Gleaner Editors' Forum on Youth, entitled, 'The Way Forward'. The Forum was held at the newspaper company's North Street offices, central Kingston.
According to Blake, the mandatory service would focus on young persons who cannot be accounted for. "I think we are at a stage in our nation's history where as a nation we must be able to account for our young persons, they are as important a resource as ... our bauxite and our tourism stock", he said.
Mr. Blake later told The Gleaner that he supports the programme as a first step. But, additionally he said he would support a universal youth service.
IDLE HANDS
He noted that there is a large body of "idle hands" that exists in the society and a youth service is one way of actively engaging those persons.
However, Dr. Christopher Tufton, president of Generation 2000, an affiliate of the Jamaica Labour Party is against a compulsory youth service. "I have a little difficulty in forcing people to do anything," he said.
He added: "We have to focus on leadership. For one, it is one thing to send a message to young persons by drafting them in a training facility and saying, listen let's go and build some schools when on the other side of the coin you hear of corruption in very high places". To a large extent I think the current generation of leaders have failed our young people", he added.
Meanwhile, Arnaldo Brown, member of the People's National Party's Youth Organisation, said he supports an expanded youth service. However, he said he does not believe in making it mandatory. "Frankly, in the context of a democracy, I don't necessarily feel that a person should be compelled to do something against their will. I believe that we can find creative ways to get them involved", he told The Gleaner.
He added: "I think that education and training are critical areas that have to be focused on because if our young persons do not have the requisite skills to survive in the pre-set global economic situation then we are going to be in some serious trouble."
